A variety of fixtures or units for displaying merchandise have been employed in retail outlets. Two of the most widely used fixtures are "gondola" units and "H-frame" units. Such units have different appearances, and are often employed for displaying different types of merchandise, but both are commonly used in the same retail establishment.
Gondola fixtures generally comprise a base, typically square or rectangular in shape, which mounts a pair of opposed vertical supports extending upwardly from the center portion thereof at each end. In most instances, a sheet of peg board is retained by the opposed vertical supports in an upright position, with one edge of the peg board supported on the base, so that the base is essentially divided in half on opposite sides of the peg board. Hooks or brackets are received within the holes of the peg board to mount merchandise to the display.
Gondola units of the type described above have a number of disadvantages which limit their effectiveness and versatility. In most instances, the base of gondola units is provided with levelers engageable with the floor to orient the unit in a horizontal position, but no rollers or other means are included on the base to permit movement of the overall unit either before or after it is loaded with merchandise. Consequently, in order to relocate a gondola unit from one location to another, the levelers must be retracted, the unit unloaded and in many cases disassembled, and, then reassembled at the new location. Additionally, most gondola units are not vertically adjustable, i.e., the vertical supports mounted to the base are provided in one standard height, and no extensions are provided to increase the overall height of the unit as desired. Further, the peg board employed to mount hooks or brackets which support merchandise is often visually unattractive and has a limited useful life. Typically, the holes in the peg board are either torn or expanded in size by repeated insertion and removal of the hooks, requiring that the peg board be replaced after a limited period of time.
H-frame units suffer from many of the same disadvantages as gondola units, often to an even greater extent. In most designs, H-frame units comprise a base which is generally rectangular in shape having four vertical posts each extending upwardly from one of the corners of the base. In many instances, the vertical posts and/or base are bolted to the floor to increase stability. A horizontally extending arm or beam is mounted between the comer posts on the opposite side, with an opposed horizontal beam mounted to the opposite set of comer posts, to provide a support for a horizontally extending shelf whose overall area is approximately equal to that of the base. One or more shelves are mounted along the vertical posts in this fashion to support merchandise.
In order to provide sufficient rigidity to H-frame units, cross braces are typically welded between the comer posts at each end of the base at spaced intervals along their vertical length. The horizontal beams and shelves are clipped to the comer posts to provide further rigidity to the overall structure. As a result of this construction, H-frame units present a number of difficulties in assembly, and, are of limited versatility once in place in a retail establishment or other outlet. The corner posts and welded cross braces are extremely heavy and bulky, as are the horizontal shelves. Consequently, most retail establishments employ professional fixture assemblers to install H-frame units at their premises. When it is desired to move the H-frame units to a different location within the store, or replace them with another type of display, the fixture assemblers must be called in to disassemble and then reassemble such units. Moreover, all of the merchandise on the display must be removed, and then replaced on the unit after it has been relocated. Additionally, in most designs, the vertical posts are of one dimension, e.g., eight feet or twelve feet in height.
In addition to the individual limitations and inefficiencies of the gondola units and H-frame fixtures described above, it is noted that such units historically employ different parts or components which are not interchangeable with one another. That is, the base and vertical posts of one gondola unit are not interchangeable with the base and corner posts, and/or horizontal beams, employed in H-frame units. As a result, retailers have been required to purchase and stock separate components of each type of unit in the event it is desired to employ both gondolas and H-frames in the same establishment. This disadvantage, and the costs associated with assembly, disassembly, stocking and restocking of both types of units, substantially adds to the overhead expenses of retailers in terms of both high labor costs and storage charges.